1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns inflatable members for protecting vehicles against impacts in general and in particular a device with inflatable members for protecting vehicles against impacts.
The device in accordance with the invention with inflatable members for protecting vehicles against impacts preferably applies to the railroad field.
By "inflatable member" is meant here any member of the inflatable bag type usually called an air bag in the automotive field.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Document GB 2 020 234 shows the use of a device with inflatable members at the front of a railroad vehicle.
Gas generators are used to open the inflatable members.
A device of the above kind can protect all of the front part of the vehicle in the event of an impact.
This is not the case, however, if, during a collision, the object strikes the device with inflatable members in a direction other than the direction perpendicular to the vertical plane tangential to the inflatable members.
In this case, and depending on the angle between the direction of the object striking the device with inflatable members and the direction perpendicular to the vertical plane tangential to the inflatable members, the protection can be totally or partially ineffective because of lateral retraction between inflatable members.
Accordingly, one aim of the invention is a device with inflatable members for protecting vehicles against impacts which optimizes the performance of the inflatable members.
Here, "optimization" means that the inflatable members that receive the impact must deform in a balanced manner, that is to say without buckling, in order to ensure maximal absorption of energy.